#82 R.P.I. Northeastern vs.
#29 R.P.I. Virginia Tech: 

Virginia Tech men’s basketball and Eye were both about to draft a rematching “Al-la-bam-a” Keith Jackson savvy preview this week. We would surely play them in a made for Telly return-clause match after March Madness last year; right?

The Hokies will now face Northeastern instead. And THX @Coach God… again! As I somehow opened my preview mags’ with: “Well, let’s see what Northeastern has, first.” Well first or blue-ribbon is the right word as they are virtually a pre-season magazine consensus or unanimous pick to be the alpha up in the Colonial Athletic Association (C.a.a.) Conference. As they received 88% of the votes I could find for first-place in their home league pre-season. The Huskies are woofing for that Hokie Bird scent. Make no mistake on this little guy who is looking to pull a nationally ranked (V.Tech is no.16) bigtime upset on ESPN2/ESPN3 at a very early Friday morning 11 am tipoff in the semi-final round of the 2018 Charleston Classic. Nevertheless, you wanna know who is gonna win this game. Read on, to find, out!

Northeastern Head Coach: Bill Coen: age=57, 203-187 overall and at Ball State.
Has a rep’ for: talent evaluation, mettle, and being an excellent practice coach.
$448,082.oo

A 1983 graduate of Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y., Coen played four years for the Continentals, winning three E.C.A.C. Championships. As a senior, he served as team captain and led Hamilton to a national ranking; wow!

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After graduation, Coen spent three years working in the computer software industry, before accepting his first coaching position at Canajoharie (N.Y.) High School. In his one year as head coach, he led the school to a 19-3 mark and was named Coach of the Year. The following year, he returned to his alma mater and served two seasons as assistant varsity coach and head junior varsity coach. During his tenure, Hamilton compiled a 38-10 mark. He was previously an assistant coach under Al Skinner at Boston College and eventually Rhode Island. Then 1.2 decades ago Bill Coen finally landed his first leading-man big whistle roll at Northeastern.

Coach Coen has taken the Huskies to four post-seasons, won four C.a.a. titles and he pocketed last years C.a.a. Coach of the Year honors as well. Coach Coen is one of just two current C.a.a. coaches to have cracked the national top-10.

Coen is an active member of the National Association of Basketball Coaches
(NABC) and resides in Charlestown.

(tourney makes more sense, now, don’t it?)

Northeastern at a glance:

• 5th in FT-percentage (84.1%).
• 35th in 3-point percentage (43.1%).
• 55th fewest fouls whistled against.
• 77th fewest turnovers (26).
• 333rd in 3-point defense allowed, however (43.6%)!
• 337th in swats (1 bpg). (get to the rack!)
• Nor.East does have two dings/dents, God Bless (see: below)

Returning Starters=5

Northeastern Strengths:

• Last year the Huskies were down to 8 players due to injury at times. Ergo, therefore, to wit, they are a good deal more experienced and a bit deeper this year for it.
• Nor.Eastern fields a very deep rotation of long, versatile Wings that can snipe from outside. In point of fact, beyond being built around a Pt.Guard (Vasa Pusica) this Husky hoops team is something of a Buzzektball isomer. Wing, wing, wing, wing-night 25/8, with enough passable size to get by and if they get hot dialing-long-distance, bonne chance with that.
• One #4, and Belgrade, Serbia native Vasa Pusica -cool name- is a strength. And so are his numerous pre-season 6′5″, 210 lb. San Diego transferring r-Sr. season C.a.a. Player of the Year nominations. His virtual team-leading 20.5 ppg and his actual team-leading 1.6 spg and 4.5 dimes dropped (apg) all say so. So “don’t act like your not impressed” by this San Diego all-city baller. Vasa is only missing his 3-point shooting which has been a bit chilly down –17% so far this season. Although a career 44% mad bomber from deep is too good for that and he prolly is due to snap-outta that rut soon enough. As his 4 for 4 or 100% 3-point effort vs. Alabama on Thursday afternoon might just hint at. As Pusica is an outburst type scorer; dropping 30-something point games are not umpossible here; even though he does have a rep’ for being loose on his handles at times. Pusica has a Serbia gold-medal at the Euro’ youth level and he is a karate expert. With no word yet on his sex panther game from… Ron Burgundy U; though dà-dá comrades, Vasa is gonna earn € (Euros) running ball at the next level. May St.Vasa bless, great on him!

  

• 6′11″, 249 lb. final year true-C,  Anthony Green -of the double earing swagg- is the best big on the court Friday morning and he’s one of the more unheralded bigs in the land. Prolly a fringe overseas pro’ if you will. As ‘tony Green actually courts low-post moves in-and-around the basket; of all the things. He is efficient on offense (71% last year | 64% this year) and he will blocks shots (1 bpg) and he’s right up against being a double-double at 9 ppg and 9 boards as well. (although he is still undecided on his major in his final, season, of school?)
• Jordan Roland is a 6′1″, 177 lb., r-Jr. Pt.G. who shares the 3-G backcourt line-up well enough. Jordan is a George Washington U transfer, he is also currently pacing Nor.Eastern at a team-leading 22 ppg on 50% overall, 49% deep and 91% from the charity stripe. It remains to be seen if that can hold up or not? Tho’ he is the highest nationally ranked recruit (no.70, ESPN) in the Huskie’s dog pound, so there is that. 2015 New York State’s Player of the Year ¦ though this is a long way up from a 6.7 ppg careerist mean, median, mode centrist kinda guy. Daddy has a Lakers front-office spot and after that… time=tell, here…

Huskies Weaknesses:

• 6′1″, 208 lb. third-year Pt.G. Shawn Occeus and his starting 10.8 ppg at the One are surely missed. Ditto his trick knee (St.Nikon bless), his once, twice, proly thrice C.a.a. Defensive Player of the Year honors (1 bpg, 2.2 spg, and a decent 36% 3-ball)… all of that is being missed, too. As this is the kinda defensive-mechanic you need to lock the other teams swagg-star down and play (effectively) 5 on 4 most nights.
• 6′5″, 211 lb. Jr., shooting-G, Maxime Boursiquot (unspecified, whispers say: “ankle”), is an imported N.A.F.T.A. Ottawa native who backs-up at the 2. Though 4.3 rpg and 6.3 ppg on a very lucrative 45% from beyond the arc does help spread the floor more than a little bit.
• Both are listed as: “QUESTIONABLE” for this one.
• And all that ain’t code for helping with depth.

Northeastern Bench: (depth=1 and change at the moment)
The only bench Husky playing more than 7 mpg is Bolden Brace who is nearly a 6th-starter at 34 mpg. 8 ppg and 6 caroms with 37% shooting in relief is no bad work if you can get it from the 6′6″, 220 lb. Jr. swing. Brace and his A+++ shooting clinic looking shot were only the C.a.a. 6th Man of the Year award winner last year to boot… and a Santa Barbra Cali’ Qb recruit on the gridiron, if you need him.

Illation, conclusion(s) and OPT digits:

Number of Huskies who could start @Tech=1.5.

the takeaway:
The takeaway here is… Northeastern is one shot away from being perfect this year after an intra-Beantowne city ditty with Boston U to begin the year. They beat a solid Havard by 10 and just pumped last year NC2A S.e.c. stalwart Alabama by 17. If you do not take that away from this one you O&M good sirs might just get… took!

976.9 miles removed from their homecourt and to take a big name scalp like dat (‘Bama) is pretty much a successful roadie all ready for any given mid-Major University. As that Crimson Name is gonna roll-tide indeed on any selection committee’s late February resume` review.

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“Everyone’s hype, everyone’s really into it,” Huskies senior forward Jeremy Miller told reporters after scoring 11 points Thursday. “I think it brings out a different side to us.”

And ^that^ applied sports psychology-fans are entirely what we are up against here. We are up against a possible NC2A team per winning their very own conference (C.a.a. in this case) auto-bid and we/Virginia Tech hoops are surely their Super Bowl and World Cup and Floyd Mayweather Jr. “money” shot all rolled into one.

the call…

That’s the news, the good news is… presuming we dispose of upsetting upstart Northeastern here, we will be right at +6 hours on rest heading into the Charleston Classic championship round and that won’t hurt 1ι (one iota).

Though still yet, we really need to handcuff one kid (VasaP) here, as I’m undersold on Roland being all that and a snap after a back down to Earth game vs. Alabama in round no.1.

Buzz and Co. need to keep the pedal to the metal and dare another mid-Major to keep pace for the full 40 minutes.

After that then sleep in on Saturday morning. As I like V.Tech again here, though I am shy
-yet again- on saying I love V.Tech here.

(71% confidence interval)
Virginia Tech=74, Northeastern=61

“LETS GO!”

“Hokies!”

 bourbonstreet**